Conventionally, various items of information are displayed in a vehicle, which visually illustrate for the driver in particular the operational data of the vehicle. Furthermore, traffic-related data may be displayed for the driver in the vehicle. In the past, analog mechanical display instruments were used to display this information. These were arranged in particular within the so-called instrument cluster in the vicinity of the driver's primary field of view behind the steering wheel. The instrument cluster is used in particular to indicate the speed, the fuel level, the radiator temperature and other operational information of the vehicle.
With the increase of electronic devices in the vehicle it has become necessary to display a greater quantity of information in the vehicle. Modern vehicles comprise for example a plurality of driver assistance systems, the information of which must be displayed in the vehicle. Furthermore, vehicles often include a navigation system. Such a navigation system is able to display digital geographic road maps including a route and possibly various additional information. Finally, modern vehicles often include communication and multimedia applications, including a mobile telephone interface and devices for playing back music and voice. For these applications it must also be possible to display information in the vehicle.
In order to be able to display the manifold information in a flexible manner, freely programmable displays are used for example, which often also take over the display of traditional mechanical instruments. German Published Patent Application No. 10 2006 032 118 describes an instrument cluster for a motor vehicle for example, which includes a display that is able to indicate variably the speed of the motor vehicle, the rotational speed of the engine of the motor vehicle, the temperature of the engine of the motor vehicle, the fuel level and/or the time. Furthermore, it is possible to display information of a navigation system, a telephone, a music system, an infotainment system and/or an air conditioning system.
In addition to the instrument cluster, a display device is often situated above the center console of the vehicle, via which additional information may be displayed. This display device is used in particular as a multifunction display and for representing a geographic map of a navigation system. Such a multifunction display is described, for example, in German Published Patent Application No. 199 41 956.
The display of information in a vehicle and the operation of the manifold devices of the vehicle entail very specific requirements. In the vehicle, it is, among others, the driver who takes in the information and operates the respective device. The information should thus be represented in the vehicle such that while taking in the information the driver is not distracted from driving. The driver should therefore be able to grasp the represented information intuitively and quickly such that he has to take his eyes off the driving action only very briefly when taking in the information. Likewise, the operation of the vehicle devices should be as simple and intuitive as possible such that the driver is able to operate the devices even while driving. If the operation is supported or guided by a display, then the display should occur in such a way that the driver has to view the display only very briefly in order to carry out the operation.
It is conventional to structure the information to be displayed hierarchically in objects so that the user is able quickly and intuitively to display specific desired information or to control the execution of specific functions quickly and intuitively. For this purpose, the objects may be divided into a plurality of menus. These menus are in turn structured hierarchically such that when selecting an object of a hierarchy level one reaches the next lower hierarchy level. In order to return to a higher hierarchy level, a so-called return button is often provided. It is furthermore known to display the entire hierarchical structure in the form of a tree diagram, which a user is able to navigate.